TEATIME FORMAL and INFORMAL TEA AT HOME

TIME FOR TEA

            The holidays are almost upon us, and that means it’s time to think about entertaining. At a certain age, most people opt to take friends to a restaurant, rather than fuss in the kitchen. It goes without saying, however, that the most gracious occasions are those where people are invited into a private home.

In Grandmother’s time, people entertained friends at home with afternoon tea. Whether it was a formal event, such as a bridal or baby shower, where 100 guests were invited to dress in afternoon finery with gloves and hats to drink tea from china cups and nibble on sandwiches arrayed on silver platters, or a simple get-together with a few friends, the hours between two and six o’clock were set aside for social interaction between Ladies Only.

            We think of tea as an English tradition, although the French also claim it to be theirs. References to tea in Chinese literature go back approximately 5,000 years. Ancient folklore places the creation of the brew at 2737 BC, when a camellia blossom drifted into a cup of boiled drinking water belonging to Emperor Shen Nung. Originally, tea was valued for its medicinal qualities. It has long been known that tea aids in digestion, which is why many Chinese prefer to consume it after their meal. The elevation of tea drinking to an art form actually began in the 8th century. Tea drinking became popular in England when Queen Anne (1665-1714) chose tea over ale as her regular breakfast drink.

            Prior to the introduction of tea into Britain, the English had two main meals, breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was ale, bread, and beef.  During the middle of the eighteenth century, dinner for the upper and middle classes had shifted from noontime to an evening meal that was served at a fashionably late hour. This was due to the shift in English life itself. This period during the second half of the Victorian Period was known as the Industrial Revolution. Working families would return home tired, exhausted, and hungry. The high dining table would be set with meats, bread, butter, pickles, cheese, and of course tea. None of the dainty finger sandwiches, scones and pastries of afternoon tea would have been on the menu. Because it was eaten at a high, dining table rather than the low coffee table of the sitting room, it was termed "high" tea. When the word “high tea” became a regal and lofty rather than practical event is not known, but tea rooms and American hotels continue to misunderstand, offering tidbits of fancy pastries and cakes on delicate china for “high tea”.

            There are several types of Low Tea. There is the Cream Tea, with scones, jam and clotted cream. There is Light Tea that adds sweets. And, there is Full Tea with savories (tiny sandwiches or appetizers), scones, sweets and dessert. These are traditionally served around four o’clock, ending promptly before seven.

Now that we are infused with some history, it’s time to concentrate on etiquette. Tea cups with a handle are held by placing one’s fingers to the front and back of the handle with one’s pinkie straight up in the air, and slightly tilted. It is not an affectation, but a graceful way to avoid spills. Never loop your fingers through the handle, nor grasp the cup with the palm of your hand.
     Never stir your tea with your spoon in sweeping circular motions. Place your tea spoon at the six o'clock position and softly fold the liquid towards the twelve o'clock position two or three times. Never leave your tea spoon in your tea cup.  Place the spoon on the right side of the tea saucer. Milk is served with tea, not cream. Cream is too heavy and masks the taste of the tea.        

Serve lemon slices, never wedges. Provide a small fork for your guests, or have the tea server place a slice in the tea cup after the tea has been poured. Never add lemon with milk. The lemon's citric acid will cause the proteins in the milk to curdle.

The Informal Tea is still attended by no more than ten guests. It is held between two to five in the afternoon and can take place in the living room or dining room. During warmer weather, you might consider having your tea on the lawn or patio.

To brew the Perfect Cup of Tea: Run cold water from the tap for at least one minute to clear stale water from the pipes and aerate the water. Do no re-heat water sitting in your kettle. If you live in an area where the water is heavily treated you can use bottled water. Shake the bottle to aerate or oxygenate the water, or your tea could have a flat taste. It's the oxygen in the water that opens up the tea leaf for full flavor extraction. Bring your teacup or teapot to the kettle while the water is boiling. If using a teapot, pre-warm it by rinsing with hot water. A cold pot could take away from the brewing process. When the water comes to a rolling boil, pour it over the tea bag or tea leaves. Use one tea bag or one-rounded teaspoon of loose tea per cup. If you like stronger tea, add an extra bag for the pot. Make sure you do not over-brew the tea or it will become bitter. Green tea is more delicate than black. Bring the water to the boiling point (185 degrees) and not to a rolling boil. For iced-tea: prepare as hot tea, but several hours in advance. Do not add ice cubes. Refrigerate.  Put the ice into glasses, not into the pitcher.

For High Tea, set the table with a cloth tablecloth (linen, if you have) and napkins. You can serve buffet style or guests can be seated around the table. With a centerpiece that can be a small vase of flowers, a basket of seasonal fruit, or food that is placed on a three-tiered cake stand and used as the centerpiece.

When giving a formal tea for an occasion, the tea service should be at one end of the table and the food arranged at the other end of the table. The guests are served tea by a seated hostess or a designated lady of honor.

Scones

Yield: Approximately 10-12 scones

3½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 full teaspoon baking powder

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (¼ pound) cold unsalted butter

3 extra large eggs, lightly beaten

⅔ cup fat free half and half

1 cup golden raisins or half raisins with dried cranberries;

1.                  Preheat oven to 425ºF.

2.                  Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

3.                  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. (Or, use a food processor for this)

4.                  Beat the eggs and stir in all but 2 tablespoons.

5.                  Stir in the half and half.

6.                  Stir in the raisins and cranberries.

7.                  Form into a large, round disk approximately ¾ inch thick.

8.                  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a glass or cookie cutter, cut out the dough in rounds.

9.                  Brush the tops with the reserved egg.

10.              Set the baking sheet ⅓ from the bottom of the oven and bake approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

 Easy Clotted Cream

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Using a whisk attachment on the mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove from mixer, and hand whisk in the sour cream and confectioners' sugar until just combined. Store in the refrigerator.

Lemon Clotted Cream
3 oz. mascarpone (similar to cream cheese)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ teaspoon lemon extract
3 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Beat the heavy cream on the highest speed of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on low speed until evenly combined.

Tea Sandwiches

            For Ham: Purchase a good quality ham of choice, sliced thin. Crust thin white bread (Pepperidge Farm® very thin). Slice the bread in half on a rectangle or triangle. Spread softened, unsalted butter over. Place a slice of ham over. Slice a small gherkin pickle lengthwise and set on top. Smoked salmon slices can be substituted. Squeeze a tiny bit of lemon over the salmon and top each with a caper.

            For Shrimp: Cook medium shrimp. Cool, peel and devein. Crust old fashioned white or whole wheat bread and, with a cookie/biscuit cutter, cut rounds. Make Curry Butter (below) and spread it over. Set a shrimp on top. Place a tiny cutting of parsley over for color.

Curry Butter

4 ounces unsalted butter

1 heaping teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon lemon juice

Pinch of salt

1.      Cream the butter. Stir in the curry, lemon juice and salt.

Cream Cheese Dill Roll-Ups

Yield: Approximately 20 Pieces

1 loaf sliced soft white bread

¼ pound unsalted butter, softened

4 cucumbers

1 bunch chopped dill

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon white pepper

1 bunch dill with stems, washed and dried

1.                  Remove the crusts from white bread.  Spread a thin layer                                                                                         of butter on one side.

2.                  Peel, seed and chop the cucumbers fine by hand. Set into a strainer and                                                                                toss with a little salt to allow the water to drain off for                                                                                           30 minutes.

3.                  Chop the dill fine.  This is best done by hand rather                                                                                               than in a food processor. Mash the dill into the cream cheese.                                                                                  Stir in the cucumbers.

4.                  Spoon mixture across the center of the bread.  Fold one side

over the filling and then fold the other side over,

 pressing slightly, so the butter will adhere to the bread.

Insert a stem of dill into one end and set, flap side down, on a

 platter, with the dill pointing outward to the edge.  Refrigerate, tightly covered with plastic wrap. Serve very cold.

Note: For small ‘pick-ups’, cut the rolls in half. Decorate the center of the platter with dill.

Directions for all Pinwheel Sandwiches

1.         Purchase large loaves of soft white bread. 

2.         Cut away outer crusts of bread, saving them for crumbs or cheese sticks or bread    pudding.

3.         Combine ingredients and spread thin across each slice.  Roll up tightly lengthwise from narrow end to narrow end.  Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until cold or overnight.

4.         Slice rolls-ups one-half inch thick and set on platters open side up.  Top each pinwheel with a thin slice of sweet gherkins or pimento olives or sprig of parsley or cilantro.  Garnish with cherry tomatoes, watercress or parsley.  Each roll should yield four pinwheel sandwiches.

Chicken Salad

Yield: Approximately 40 Pinwheels

2 pounds chicken breasts, boned and skinned

1 teaspoon sea salt

8 celery ribs

2 cups or more mayonnaise to bind

Salt and pepper to taste

2 - 1 pound loaves unsliced white bread

1.                  Cover breasts with water in a deep skillet.  Add salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-high and poach, covered, 20 minutes, or longer, depending on their size.  Chicken is done when there is no sign of opaque coloring when cut into. Cool and chop into tiny pieces.

2.                  Chop celery fine and drain in a strainer at least 15 minutes. Add to chicken with enough mayonnaise to bind.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Prepare Pinwheel sandwiches as above.

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